1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recreational floating device and, more specifically, to a device for insertion in an inner tube for use in river rafting or "tubing".
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The sport of "tubing" has gained increasing popularity in recent years. An automotive inner tube is used as a floating seat to support a person in water. Normally, the person will place legs, arms and upper back over the top of the tube, and permit lower back and bottom to protrude through the tube into the water. When the body of water is a river, particularly one with small rapids, an exhilarating and enjoyable experience can be had.
Inner tubes are the chosen device for tubing for a number of reasons including their availability and their minimal cost, and floating on a body of water without using an inner tube cannot properly be called "tubing". As a consequence, the equipment used for tubing has remained fairly constant over the years, rarely comprising anything beyond an inner tube.
Several drawbacks to the use of an unadorned inner tube for tubing were identified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,387 to Morgan. These drawbacks include the possibility of tubes being too large or too small for comfortable use, the possibility of collisions of parts of the user, such as the user's lower back and bottom, with rocks or other obstacles. The common difficulty of finding sources of compressed air near remote bodies of water for inflating and deflating a tube in order to insert or detach a device capable of overcoming the other problems is also mentioned. Morgan addresses these problems by proposing a collapsible inner tube seat support that deforms an inner tube along a longitudinal axis. The solution offered by Morgan, however, risks puncturing the inner tube in use and decreases the stability of the device as deformation is increased. Further, the Morgan device appears to be rather spartan and not particularly well suited for comfort and relaxed enjoyment on extended length rides.
Using a tube insert to provide additional safety, comfort and support raises further problems of raft stability. When a plain inner tube in used, there is rarely any problem of stability because the combined center of gravity of the tube and passenger is low. However, as inserts deform an inner tube longitudinally, as in Morgan, or rise significantly above the water, as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,666,265 to Ammerman et al., which discloses a water seesaw device, the risk of an inadvertent tipping of the device is increased because the device's stability is decreased. This risk is increased when a passenger of a size not intended for the device uses the device, or a passenger positions him or herself in an unconventional manner on the craft. One solution proposed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,771,722 to Tihany is to provide a frame to support a seat and outrigger arms for outrigger devices. Tihany, of course, has the disadvantage of requiring a good deal of assembly and of requiring numerous additional parts. In addition to the foregoing difficulties, the devices described appear to be rather heavy, thus risking injury to an individual who is inadvertently struck by one of the devices. It is therefore desirable to have a tubing device that is normally light in weight, both for safety and for transportation purposes.
If a safe, comfortable and stable device is possible, long trips, such as weekend camping expeditions are made more possible, and it is therefore desirable to have a tubing device in which camping gear can be stored and carried along. With longer trips being possible, it is also therefore desirable to provide a variety of comfort-enhancing options. It will also be desirable to provide a device for use with larger inner tubes that can support one or more passengers comfortably, safely and with stability.